A man has admitted stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death in a shopping centre car park but denies murder.

Joshua Stimpson appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday to stand trial for Molly McLaren’s murder.

Miss McLaren, who lived in Cobham and was a student at the University of Kent, was found stabbed inside her car just after 11am on June 29 in the car park of the Dockside Outlet in Maritime Way, Chatham, Kent.

Stimpson was arrested at the scene.

The 26-year-old admitted manslaughter but this was not accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service, which is proceeding with a charge of murder, a spokesman confirmed.

Stimpson, of High Street, Wouldham, near Rochester, was remanded in custody until the prosecution opens the case against him on Tuesday afternoon.

Friends and family set up the Molly McLaren Foundation in the wake of her death.

It has so far raised more than £15,000 to donate towards charities which support people with eating disorders, according to a JustGiving page.